Generally speaking, multimedia terminals comprise a certain number of so-called native applications which are associated with the use of the terminal resources. For example, in the case of a telephone terminal, native applications are the network connection, call transmitting and receiving applications as well as applications for screen control or for controlling a user interface, such as a keypad or touch screen.
In addition, one functionality prevalent in the Internet field is the use of applications executed using Internet browser software. JavaScript “plug-in” type applications are examples of applications executed using browser software.
These applications are either local applications or remote applications. The local applications are downloaded and then stored locally in the terminal. The remote applications are stored on a remote server and run on the corresponding Internet page when downloaded. It bears noting that even if these applications are called “remote”, the execution thereof is carried out at the terminal. However, they are differentiated from local applications in that they cannot be executed in the absence of a connection to remote equipment, unlike the local applications which can be executed “off-line”.
In the field of multimedia terminals, native, local and remote applications are considered to have different execution contexts. For security reasons, the terminals incorporate logical barriers which reduce the permeability between applications in different execution contexts.
Thus, an event corresponding to the implementation of an application in a particular execution context is not relayed in the execution contexts.
For example, a remote application cannot control the screen intensity setting or initiate outbound calling, and a local application cannot communicate with a remote application.
However, an increasing number of terminals today enable access to Internet type resources, and it is advantageous to be capable of easily and directly using data or information related to remote applications via native or local applications, and vice versa.
As a matter of fact, today a user cannot store telephone numbers on an Internet directory and access this Internet directory using a local application or even execute the call using a native application.